My uncle is giving me a 1989 GL1500. It has been sitting in his garage for the past two years not going anywhere. He did put gas treatment in before he stopped riding it and had it serviced just before, too. My question is; “What would anyone recommend I do to get it road ready? I have been riding other makes of bikes so I am not familiar with Honda and how rugged they are or aren't. I could use some advice here.

drain the tank, and run newer gas with some gas treatment, try Sea Foam. you didn't memtion the mileage, but if it is high I would also drain the drive/gear oil in the rear. Listen to the bike run before riding, you may need to change to sparkplugs and air filter, (never hurts to). Check the tires and breaks before riding, and riding high speeds, safety first. Also change to oil, I was always told when buying a used vechile, do these things, you know what you have got then. Finally, the GW is a great bike they last a lifetime if taken care of. Hope it helps.

That is great advice. I will do as recommended. I didn't mention the mileage due to the fact that I don't know it. I will know a lot more about the bike after this weekend when I go get it and my uncle will give me the complete service record. I will post more then. Thank you so much for what you said so far.

I too agree that you should change all the fluids and check brakes the like before going out. This way you know when it was done last and don't have to rely on someone else. A fresh bike is always the best.
Make sure you run the engine for a time to get it warmed up and listen to it. check your brakes before you go. Sea Foam is probably one of the better products and you can usually get it at most auto stores and farm & fleet.

I think that all of the advice posted here is great, but I do have one question. I keep reading that the timing belts should be replaced to avoid costly repairs, but I have never actually read a first hand experience of someone experiencing a timing belt breakage. Anyone out there had it happen?

hleseidel wrote:I think that all of the advice posted here is great, but I do have one question. I keep reading that the timing belts should be replaced to avoid costly repairs, but I have never actually read a first hand experience of someone experiencing a timing belt breakage. Anyone out there had it happen?

I've read of a few people having it happen. I can recall one guy who had only two bent valves, and after replacing them both, he was good to go. I also remember reading a post from one guy who had the valves punch holes in the cylinders and bending a connecting rod, spreading metal through the engine and basically destroying it.

Hey, its my first post, but felt the need to reply as I could tell you are new to the wing. As you mentioned the bike was serviced before being parked for a couple years, I would not put the timing belts as a priority issue unless the thing would not start or you heard something very wrong. Even sitting for a while, these belts are tough. I was concerned when mine turned 50 thou, I insisted that my mechanic change the belts even though he said those belts really don't show any wear through 100k. He was right . You could'nt tell there was any wear let alone stretch. They live in an enclosed area so weather has no efffect. My opinion,,,If it is running with no missed beats,,, ride it,,Be aware of tires and their pressures and ride it,,, Change oil and ride it,,, Treat the fuel if you think you must and ride it,,,Wash it with no water just quick detailer and polish the chrome well....And OH!!!,,,RIDE IT !!! ....Craig

The whole idea behind timing belts is that they run the valve train, causing the valves to open and close at exactly the right time (hence the name). Having valves open or close too early or late can cause heat, mileage, valve, exhaust and other problems. If the belts stretched, this is exactly what would happen.

For this reason, the belts have glass strands that run the length of the belt. This means they DO NOT STRETCH - at all. Not even a tiny bit. This "stretching over time" is one of the main things that causes typical serpentine belts to wear and crack. Looking at a timing belt for evidence of wear is useless - they do not wear like regular serpentine belts. There is no evidence that the belt is worn and about to break, because the only thing that wears and breaks are the INTERNAL fibers. A belt that is on the verge of breaking the next time you start your engine can and will look exactly the same as a belt that has got 30,000 miles left in it.

This is why Honda doesn't say "inspect timing belt and replace if worn" - it says "replace timing belt at xxxxx miles or xxx years."

The standard rule is, if you just bought a bike and you don't know when the belts were last changed, then the time to change them is NOW.

Amen, WingAdmin. While I've never had one break on a bike, I learned my lesson the hard way when one slipped a tooth on my '84 Isuzu Pup. Don, at C & R Cycle in Tucson, recounted lots of horror stories when he replaced the belts on my '92 GL.